The Wire The Complete First Season

This is a complex, intelligent drama, originally on HBO, that is set in Baltimore.

The city itself, in a sense, is the main character of this show, and each season focuses on a different aspect of Baltimore life. The first season deals with drug dealers and the police. They are not presented strictly as the good guys versus the bad guys. Instead, all characters are shown as being a bit of both, and as being shaped, and often trapped, by the institutions that they belong to.

I don't have a subscription to HBO, and I started watching the series (getting the DVDs at the library) because my local newspaper's TV critic kept on raving about it. I recommend the videos for other people who don't have HBO and who would like to see something that's a higher quality than most of what is shown on network TV.

There is a lot of violence, though, so it's not for everyone. The story is also complex and fast-moving and requires more concentration than most shows on TV. I also had trouble sometimes following what people were saying, so I would put on the closed-captioning. The show does reward the effort you put into it, though, especially if you watch several seasons and get to see the storylines come to fruition over the long haul.

The only special features on the DVD are the commentaries on a few episodes. They are done by the series' creator, a director, and a writer, and are very interesting.